look who's five months old!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hope your holiday was fun! We had a fun time with Jerry's dad, step-mom, and brother visiting us for Christmas this year. Despite having a new camera, I didn't get very many pictures on Christmas morning - keeping Miles happy and Claire from opening everyone else's presents kept me occupied. Two funny things: On Christmas eve, we were trying to get the kids to clean up their playroom by telling them that Santa might not have anywhere to put new toys otherwise. Claire was not too concerned, because she said she already had presents downstairs under the tree. Darren's favorite gift from Santa was a SpongeBob Squarepants toothbrush. He found it in his stocking right away, and was so excited he failed to notice the scooter and racetrack Santa also brought him!

A proud moment for the Collingwood family

. . . too bad it's not in color, right? I should mention that in Darren's folder I also found a picture of Jesus on the water, saving Peter, who was just a head sticking out of waves.

So, we have been pretty boring lately. We went to the temple on Saturday and left all three kids with a babysitter for several hours. I was very nervous, but the babysitter did great! We also went to the ward Christmas party and the kids got to see Santa. We forgot to bring our camera. We saw "Frosty the Snowman" at the children's theater last week. We were also without a car for several days last week while Jerry's was in the shop. We were grateful for the beautiful weather so that we could walk to school each day (Darren rode his bike.)

By the way, we are getting ready to send out Christmas cards next week, and I realized I don't have all my Waco and blogger friend addresses. If you want a card, I need to you e-mail me your address to: michalann@byu.net

thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is the second year we have done the Turkey Trot in Austin with my family. It was cold, but we bundled everyone up. We walked/ran 5 miles in 1:07:27, beating last year's time by about 5 minutes. It is a great way to start out the holiday. We have been so blessed this year with the birth of Miles. We are grateful for family, good health, our friends and the gospel. Happy eating!

Mr. Clean, A.K.A. Darren

For Family Home Evening this week, we took the kids out and picked up trash in a field near our house. Darren had so much fun doing it that he asks to do it all the time now!

For Deena!

Here is a picture of Miles in the outfit you gave him. It is seriously cute on him. I should mention, though, that it seems to inspire some major gross diapers, seriously! I was going to take a picture of him in it last week, but while we were at Hobby Lobby, he literally EXPLODED all over me, the floor, and himself (of course, I didn't have any wet wipes!) Today, I've been a little bit quicker! :) Miles is the happiest baby! He will smile and talk to anyone, including the phone, and himself in the mirror. He just likes attention. We love him!

"Brown Day" at School

Claire looked so cute today, but as you can tell, she did not want me to take her picture! She loves her school. She goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Claire has also been learning to ride her bike, and likes to put on makeup and play with her many babies.

Halloween 2007

These pictures were scanned from my regular camera - sorry about the poor quality! Claire is a Barbie, and Darren is Spiderman.

You know you're tired when . . .

1. You refer to your husband as "my dad" (Yikes! Yikes! Yikes!)
2. You spend a few minutes shopping with another lady's cart at WalMart
3. You drive home from church with one lenses missing out of your sunglasses and don't even notice.

Goodnight, I'm going to bed!

Miles in his blessing outfit

Miles was blessed in church this past Sunday. We were lucky to have Jerry's dad there, and my family as well. I can't believe Miles is already 6 weeks old! He now weighs 12 lbs. and is sleeping through the night fairly consistently (9:30-5:30, or sometimes 7:30!) He is our family's winner for sleeping through the night - what a blessing! Darren and Claire started preschool this week, and things have actually been a little crazier. I have pictures on our non-digital camera that I'll post after we get them developed.

..."But I think I look a whole lot better WITHOUT my clothes on!!! "

Wish I could say the same!

Our New Couch! (The Epidural Couch)

We picked this out on Saturday. That is NOT my living room in the picture, by the way. (Too bad.) The old sofa will be going in the formal living room, so we'll finally have some furniture in there, yeah!

Tagged!!!

Lindsey tagged me a long time ago - here are eight little-known facts about me:

1. I used to desperately want to be "old-fashioned", and be a contemporary of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the "Little Women", "The Five Peppers", and Anne of Green Gables. Now, not so much.

2. Jerry surprised me on our honeymoon by taking me to an N'Sync concert.

3. I have 29 gallons of paint sitting in my pantry right now.

4. I love to count things. I can also tell you how many minutes it takes to any given location, if I've been there more than once. (This doesn't mean that I'm always on time.)

5. I have been in 5 car accidents in the last seven years. In none of these was I the driver. As a result, I'm a very insecure passenger.

6. I have played the piano for 22 years, and I took lessons for 17 years. My piano teacher still teaches my youngest brother. She turns 88 this year and is still going strong!

7. I like to time everything I do - it motivates me to go faster. It drives Jerry crazy, yet he still puts a new timer in my stocking each Christmas - gotta love him!!!

A couple months ago, Jerry and I were out on a date. We were driving a rental car because our van was in the shop. We pulled up to a stoplight and I thought the people next to us were laughing and pointing to us - how rude! They motioned for Jerry to roll down his window, then asked, "hey, did you know you have a timer stuck to the side of your car?" Jerry kind of laughed and explained that we had kids. They agreed, "Oh, yeah" and chuckled some more. Well, I was dying of embarrassment, because I was actually the one who had stuck it there while I was working in my flowers, and had forgotten to take it down. Sadly, after I put it in the car that night, I forgot about it, and haven't seen it since, because we had to return the rental car shortly thereafter. Luckily, my watch has a stopwatch on it!

8. I am by no means an "au natural" kind of girl. I like my meds! BUT I delivered Miles without an epidural because I wanted a new couch instead - it was a proud moment for me!

Now you know how weird I am! Hope you enjoyed this post!

Arachnophobia!

I'm really not scared of spiders, but we found three giant black widows and five gross egg sacs when we were cleaning out the garage today. YIKES!!!

Miles Brought Me Smiles!

Here is Miles, already two weeks old! I took him to the doctor today, and he has gained exactly one pound and grown 1 inch. Wow! The last couple weeks have been somewhat of a fog. I'm so grateful to my mom who has stayed an extra week so that I can continue to get rest during the day.

I feel the need to express my extreme gratitude for the sweet little blessing that Miles has been. I battled severe depression for much of this pregnancy. I was able to see a counselor several times, who was a great help. I remember telling her a couple of months ago, that I honestly dreaded the day Miles was born, because I didn't know how I could possibly handle the added stress of another child. Jerry and I had followed the promptings we felt that it was time to have another baby, so I didn't understand why Heavenly Father would send this baby to a mother who was such a wreck and having a hard enough time with the children I already had! Perhaps I just needed to slow down, and enjoy my family more - and having a baby certainly helps you slow down. Anyway, I'm not sure what has changed, but I know I feel different now, and I'm so grateful for the love that I feel for Miles (and Darren and Claire)! I know that our Heavenly Father knows us well, and knows of our needs and concerns and will take care of us if we let him. Miles has been the blessing that I needed!

Miles is Three Days Old!

Announcing MILES ANDREW COLLINGWOOD!

Born Thursday, July 26th, at 12:28 p.m.

I was induced Thursday morning, and after a fairly quick labor (no epidural!!!)Miles Andrew Collingwood was born! He was 8 pounds, 4 ounces, and 21 inches long . We are so excited to have him in our family, and will be posting more pictures of him in the next couple of days.

The Pursuit of Happyness

Last night, we watched this movie. It is based on a true story. It really made me think about how much I have to be grateful for, and how the little things I worry about are quite trivial compared to what some people go through. I highly recommend it!

still here, passing the time

My mom has been here since last Monday to help out. I was so bummed on Wednesday about not getting to have the baby that she helped me paint our dining room - not once, but twice! We love the second color! I didn't think to take a before picture, but basically, throughout the house, all of the walls are white and the trim is a dark beige color. Eventually, we will paint everything. I've done the baby room, also, but I want to get the trim and door painted before posting a picture.

How Low Can He Go?

So, this is me at 39 weeks pregnant. I've never been this pregnant or big before. It is scary!!!

Still Here!!!

Early yesterday morning as we were getting ready to go to the hospital, we got a phone call saying there were no beds available and we'd have to wait a while to come in. As of today, I'm on a waiting list to have the baby! Needless to say, I'm very disappointed, and wondering why the baby hasn't come yet anyway?!!!

Pregnancy Cravings

This is what I've been craving:

roasted marshmallows (thanks to a gas stove)
marshmallows and graham crackers
marshmallows and chocolate chips
any dessert/food with cream cheese in it
donuts
swedish fish
caramels
Diet Caffiene-Free Coke
and of course, any other treat - I'm not really that picky

I've been living it up but plan to cut out the sweets once the baby is born. Do you think he might go through withdrawal? After all, his mom is a sugar addict! Poor thing!

So what kind of things do you crave when you're pregnant?

Here is a yummy recipe that a fellow preggie requested; hope you enjoy it as much as we have!


>Cookies and Cream Freeze

4 squares Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate]
14 Oreo cookies, divided (I used more)
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
Caramel topping, optional

Melt chocolate as directed on pkg.; set aside until ready to use. Line
pan with foil, extending the sides of the foil over the pan.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl with mixer on
medium speed until well blended. Stir in whipped topping. Remove
about 1 1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture and mix it with the melted
chocolate. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the pan. Crumble six Oreos and sprinkle on top. Spread the cool whip mixture on next. Crumble the remaining cookies and
sprinkle on top. Drizzle caramel topping on top if desired. Cover with
foil and freeze for 3 hours or until firm.

(By the way, this recipe is supposed to be made in a bread
loaf pan, I one and a half times the recipe and put it in a round one. These
are the measurements given in the recipe. It doesn't have a crust; I think
next time I make it I will buy an Oreo pie crust to layer it in.)


ENJOY!!!!!

FYI - I'm scheduled to be induced this Wednesday - I'm really hoping to go into labor sooner than that, but Wednesday will still be 12 days early, so I can't complain. We'll post pictures when he gets here!

RED LETTER DAY!!!

Friday was a red-letter day for me! Jerry went up to Utah this weekend to visit his family and help with some house projects, so it was just me and the kids. Wanting to have some fun, also, we decided to visit my good friend Rachel in Waco, for what I thought would be a craft day with a few friends. When I got to her house, we had to park several houses down because there were cars everywhere, which I thought was a little strange. What a suprise to find out that everyone was there for a baby shower (mine)! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! It was so wonderful to see everyone! My friends in Waco are truly one-of-a-kind, and I am continually grateful for all of you!

Darren's Puzzle

Darren loves puzzles, and was so proud of himself for finishing this 100-piece puzzle, that I just had to take a picture!
This is Claire and "Big Baby". Big Baby was being naughty and had to go in the oven. I told Claire that Big Baby was going to have to go in time out if her mommy didn't take good care of her and be nice to her.

Claire's Hair

Claire has the most beautiful, thick, straight hair. Although she doesn't get it from me or my side of the family, I am a little vain about it. So, when I walked into Darren's room the other day and saw long tufts of light brown hair all over the floor, I started to freak out just a little bit. After finding Claire, I was relieved to find out that it wasn't as bad as it looked. Darren had simply cut off the "Deb" side ponytail and one other small patch. We decided to take her in and have it trimmed a little and have Darren's layers blended in. I asked the girl who was cutting it to taper it around her face and trim a couple inches off. She ended up having it cut about 4-5 inches. I think she's just as cute with her new do, but I feel compelled to grow it out again so that my hair and I can continue living vicariously through her!

That's stupid, Dude!

Two words of the week have been "stupid" and "dude." Claire picked them up somewhere and has been using them ever since - "I want some milk, dude," she demands of me. Or, "I don't want to read a book. That's stupid!" She's this cute little two-year old with an attitude!

First Rangers Game

Tuesday night was $2 ticket night through our ward, so we took Darren and Claire to see the Rangers play the Detroit Tigers. We only stayed through the 4th inning but had a great time. The weather was beautiful, and the Rangers have an awesome stadium!

Claire's Purse

A girl always needs her purse, right? I'm always interested to see what "essentials" Claire chooses to put in her many purses. So, the other day, Claire follows me into the bathroom (she likes to hand me toilet paper, flush the toilet, etc.) She sits down, opens up her purse, pulls out a plate, fills it with goldfish, and proceeds to have a little snack. Yummy! You just can't beat a snack in the bathroom!

Darren and Claire's version of cleaning up the playroom . . .

Gotta love these kids! Ta-Da!!! They were so proud of themselves!

Hello, Again

Hey, I've been a bum blogger lately, I promise to post more regularly from now on! Enjoy these next couple posts!

We love flowers!

So, this is what we've been working on lately . . . we're still not quite finished, but here are some pictures for you to enjoy. I am so grateful for a husband who loves flowers - Jerry really outdid himself this time! The first couple pictures are "before" - this is how the landscaping looked when we moved in.

To my good friends in Waco . . .

Hey, girls, I just wanted to let you know how much I miss you! We are really enjoying it here, but I think of you often and wonder how you are doing. We have been busy, and I will post some more pictures soon. Hope you all are doing great, and remember that we love to have visitors!

Happy Easter!

11,688 Diapers!

I was doing some calculations today, and this is the staggering amount of diapers that I've changed in the past four years! (Just a bit of trivia for you.) And for those of you who enjoy hearing about the latest escapades of Darren and Claire, here's one: Jerry was outside the other evening mowing the yard, when he noticed brightly colored clothing falling from the sky. He traced the source back to the second-story window of Darren's bedroom. By the time he got upstairs, Darren and Claire had emptied an entire dresser full of clothes onto the roof and into the yard. Actually, it was pretty funny, but we had to give them a very stern lecture about how they should never, never, ever take the screens out of their windows, because #1. They could fall out of the window and get smashed really badly, and maybe die, or #2. A bad guy could get in!!! After a five-minute discussion, I'm still not sure we really got through to them. Darren said that if he fell out of the window, he'd just have someone put some staples and sticks in him to hold him back together. And if a bad guy got in, and didn't have a gun, Darren would get him with his light saber. If the bad guy did have a gun, he would take the gun away, once again using his light saber. So I guess Jerry and I don't have anything to be worried about, right?

Mug Shots

this happened while I was posting the previous entry. Again, they are supposed to be napping! (Sleeping-quiet and being naughty-quiet sound a lot alike) Not only did they apply makeup to their faces, but their fingers, toes, and legs as well. Claire came up to me and announced, "I pretty!" Now I need to go and see if the "pretty" spread to the carpet . . . Help!